7. Waylan

Chapter 7

Waylan

I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Why hadn't I sensed that Joe was a shifter? I laughed and clapped as I watched him zip around the barn after Elvis. Joe had a huge grin on his cute little face.

I'd never met a fox before, at least not a shifter.

He was gaining on Elvis, and I suddenly realized that I actually needed to save my rooster. I shifted and felt an instant sigh of relief course through my body. I hadn't been shifting as much with Joe around, afraid I'd weird him out, but now I knew we could've been racing in our fur this whole time.

I bounded after Joe and quickly caught up with him. I tumbled over him and swept his legs to the ground so he toppled and slid. Elvis, spotting his chance for escape, quickly fluttered back to the coop.

Joe cautiously stood up and eyed me.

I wagged my tail and looked at him, hoping he wasn't too disappointed to lose his prey. Surely, he'd put the pieces together by now and knew I was the coyote he'd met.

I trotted over to my pile of clothes and stood by them, cocking my head at Joe. Then I walked to his pile and stood by those.

A look of panic swept into his eyes, and he backed away from me. What was going on?

I shifted into my skin and quickly pulled my pants on. "I thought you knew. Why didn't you tell me you were a shifter, too?"

Joe looked up at me, panic still in his eyes. It slowly dawned on me what was happening. Slowly, I walked toward him. "Joe, everything's okay. More than okay. You've turned into a fox, but you're still you, and you can turn back."

He walked toward me, trembling. He must've felt terrified. I sat down on the ground, and he walked right up to me and put his paws on my lap. I scratched his ears.

He was adorable.

I explained to him how to shift back into his skin, and with a couple of false starts, he was able to do it.

Suddenly, Joe was back, naked and trembling in my lap.

I put my arms around him and helped him sit up, then held him.

A strong instinct to protect the innocent omega came over me as I stroked his hair, keeping my arms wrapped tightly around him. After a few minutes, I realized he needed to warm up. "Wait here." I walked to a wooden chest and took out a blanket, then returned and wrapped it around him. "Are you okay?"

He looked dazed and confused. "What happened?"

"You shifted into a fox. You're a shifter, Joe."

"I…I didn't know those were real."

I couldn't help but laugh, but then realized he was being serious. "Wait, didn't you know I was the coyote who visited your camp?"

He smiled. "I did wonder about that, but I thought it was just wishful thinking." He scooted closer to me. "How long will this last?"

"What do you mean?"

He shrugged and looked up at me with so much innocence. "How long will I be able to turn into a fox?"

"Forever. You're a shifter. You always have been. I'm not sure why you've never shifted before." Well, I did have an idea, but I didn't want to tell Joe. I didn't want to tell him that my desire for him to be my mate might've been triggering his own mating instincts.

Joe stopped trembling but scooted a little closer until we were almost touching.

I wanted to wrap my arms around him again and pull him close, but instead, I reached out and rubbed his arm through the blanket.

He smiled at me, looking a little embarrassed. "Honestly it…it was fun."

I nodded and grinned. "Want to try again?"

His eyes were big and bright. "Okay."

I explained the basic dynamics of shifting, and then we were both in our fur again. I stood taller than Joe, so I laid down to appear less intimidating.

He walked around me, sniffing at my fur, then gave me a look that I understood to mean, "I can smell so many things now!"

After a few minutes, I walked out of the barn with Joe behind me. He closed his eyes and sniffed the breeze. I could only imagine what it must've felt like for him to have his senses so acute for the first time. Though he'd probably always had an insanely good sense of smell.

He turned his head toward the chicken coop and his body tensed up, ready to spring. I yipped to draw his attention away from the birds. That could turn into a problem. I motioned toward the lake then set out at a trot.

When we reached the field, I picked up the pace.

Joe easily kept up. Suddenly, I felt a light nip on the back of my leg and turned to see a twinkle in Joe's eyes. He yipped and then set off at a run, looking behind to see if I gave chase.

I did.

We raced into the section of pawflower that we hadn't harvested yet. Joe dodged the fat stems, darting from side to side. He was fast, and his smaller size gave him an advantage. He easily slipped between plants that caught on my fur, slowing me down. I barked, trying to scare him, but it didn't work. He only ran faster, looking back at me with his tongue hanging out.

I watched his gray-and-black tail whip through the plants, then I slipped sideways and ran out of the field. I raced around the edge of the crop, much faster without the plants slowing me down, and was there to pounce on him when he emerged by the lake.

I bowled him to the ground, and we proceeded to have a good wrestling match, slowly getting closer to the edge of the lake until we reached the water, and I jumped in. Joe hesitated. Maybe he wasn't a good swimmer? I swam back and gently coaxed him in, knowing his fox instincts would kick in.

Sure enough, once he was in the water, Joe paddled around happily. He was an excellent swimmer. Impulsively, I shifted into my skin and glided across the water with long strokes. I felt something touch me and turned to see Joe, also in his skin, face wet and smiling.

"Do you feel okay?" I treaded water, ready to catch him.

Beads of water on his face caught the sunlight as he beamed a smile at me. "I feel fantastic. I didn't know I could swim!"

I laughed and reached toward him without thinking. Before I knew it, I had one hand on his waist and was stroking his cheek with my other hand.

His eyes were serious, so I quickly pulled away. But he reached out and caught my wrist, then returned my hand to his face. I scooted closer and wrapped my other arm around his back.

I pulled him even closer, and then our lips met. The kiss passed between us like a burst of fire. My whole body lit up with need and a desire I'd never felt before. I pressed my mouth against Joe's as our tongues eagerly collided. Our breathing merged, hot and fast, and I was overpowered by my feelings for him.

I pulled back and took his hand in mine. "Come on."

We swam back to the large rock I liked to sunbathe on. The afternoon sun had warmed the smooth stone, and we lay next to each other, naked and shivering as we smiled at each other like excited children.

We didn't stay chilly for long as Joe reached out and ran one finger along my arm, leaving a trail of goosebumps. "I have so many questions." He raised his eyebrows at me.

I propped myself up on one elbow. "What do you want to know?"

I didn't know a ton about foxes, but I was prepared to answer everything I could about shifters and shifting.

"Why are you out here all alone?"

That wasn't a question I was expecting as I stared into his blue eyes. He was so innocent. I wasn't prepared to tell him about The Quiet, even though I sensed he would understand. So I said something else that was equally true. "I'm really picky about the company I keep."

Joe laughed. "Me too."

He rolled onto his back toward me, and then onto his side so we were almost pressed against each other. A hunger that had been building in me all week as I worked beside Joe took over, and I pulled him toward me.

We kissed again, deeply and for a long time. Joe moaned, and I could scent his arousal in the air. I searched his mouth with my tongue, raking my hand through his shaggy hair as he grabbed my ass and pressed himself against me. His dick was hot and hard against my skin, and I wanted to devour him, to plunge myself into him and claim his as mine.

But I resisted.

I pulled away, my breath shaking, and pushed myself up. "Come with me." I held my hand out and helped him up.

As we walked back to the barn, holding hands, I couldn't wipe the smile off my face. I kept bringing Joe's hand up to my mouth and kissing it, and he kept pausing to nuzzle against my chest or neck, planting soft kisses on my skin.

My coyote was spinning circles inside my head, chanting, " Mate! Mate! Mate!"

I just kept silently responding, " DOWN, boy. " I wasn't willing to corrupt sweet, innocent Joe with the darkness that followed me wherever I went. I couldn't. Could I?